Books Dedicated to Azerbaijan’s Rich Historical and Cultural Heritage Presented at ANAS

Link: https://science.gov.az/

A presentation ceremony was held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) for the books “Azerbaijan’s Heritage on UNESCO Lists” and “Ganja Khanate: Coinage and Monetary Circulation,” authored by Mustafa Shabanov, First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and published with the support of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO within the framework of cooperation with ANAS. The books are dedicated to Azerbaijan’s rich historical and cultural heritage.

Opening the event held at the Central Scientific Library, President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, spoke about the history of Azerbaijan-UNESCO relations and noted that the foundation of these relations was laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev and that they are currently being successfully developed under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Emphasizing that the exceptional activities of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva have contributed to the international recognition of Azerbaijan’s national values, Academician Isa Habibbeyli noted that, as a result of the partnership between ANAS and UNESCO, important manuscripts have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. He emphasized that Azerbaijan has already demonstrated its strength at UNESCO as a country with considerable influence and is represented at a high level within the organization.

Noting the scientific, political, and historical significance of the publications presented, Academician Isa Habibbeyli stated that the book “Azerbaijan’s Heritage on UNESCO Lists” contains information about examples of Azerbaijan’s heritage, the process of their recognition by UNESCO, the official certificates presented, and photographs depicting these heritage elements. The book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in Azerbaijan’s UNESCO-recognized heritage, specialists working in the fields of culture and heritage, diplomats, students, and those interested in promoting Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage worldwide.

The President of ANAS particularly emphasized the importance of introducing into scholarly circulation research dedicated to the period of the Ganja Khanate, coinage, and monetary circulation. He noted that the studies presented by Mustafa Shabanov represent valuable steps both in the study of the numismatic history of the Ganja Khanate and in promoting Azerbaijan’s rich cultural heritage within the framework of UNESCO. According to him, the characteristics of the period of Javad Khan, including the economic and cultural landscape of the region, are reflected on a scholarly basis in the book “Ganja Khanate: Coinage and Monetary Circulation.”

The President of ANAS expressed his hope that such fundamental publications would continue to be produced.

Then, Ambassador-at-Large and Secretary-General of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, Elman Abdullayev, delivered a speech and emphasized the importance of close cooperation between the relevant structures of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ANAS, and the National Commission for UNESCO.

Elman Abdullayev highlighted the important results achieved by Azerbaijan within the framework of cooperation with UNESCO. He noted that Azerbaijan’s rich cultural heritage is successfully represented on UNESCO’s various lists of intangible, tangible, natural, and documentary heritage. He stated that 24 elements of intangible cultural heritage, 4 tangible cultural heritage sites, and 2 natural heritage sites of Azerbaijan, also confirmed by the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, are currently included in the World Heritage Lists. The Secretary-General particularly described the inclusion of Khurshidbanu Natavan’s 1886 album of illustrated poems entitled “Gul Daftri” in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register as a source of pride and a historic achievement in promoting the heritage of the Karabakh Khanate worldwide.

Emphasizing the exceptional and historic role of First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva in promoting Azerbaijani culture and history on the UNESCO platform, Elman Abdullayev noted the strategic importance of promoting the country’s rich heritage internationally.

He also noted that the books presented to the public today are available in both Azerbaijani and English. He stated that, in terms of communicating Azerbaijan’s heritage to the international community and reaching a wider readership, it would be appropriate to translate and publish these books in Arabic, Russian, and other languages in the future.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Mexican States and Project Director of the publications Seymur Fataliyev highlighted the initial steps taken to promote the publications internationally. He noted that the books had already been presented to the National Libraries of Mexico and Peru, as well as to the official archives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries. The Ambassador touched upon the importance of publishing the books in Spanish, the fourth most widely spoken language in the world. He stated that the publication of the books in Spanish is of significant strategic importance in terms of communicating the realities of Azerbaijan and its rich cultural heritage to a wider audience.

He stated that the book “Azerbaijan’s Heritage on UNESCO Lists” is a unique work and that no publication of such a comprehensive nature and in such a format had previously been published. Emphasizing that the inclusion of each monument on a UNESCO list is a complex and dedicated process, the Ambassador highly appreciated the intensive efforts of the relevant institutions in this field.

Seymur Fataliyev expressed hope that a second volume of the book would be prepared in the near future and presented to readers in an expanded form.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Saadat Yusifova stated that the books “Azerbaijan’s Heritage on UNESCO Lists” and “Ganja Khanate: Coinage and Monetary System” are important reference sources for documenting Azerbaijan’s history, traditions of statehood, and cultural heritage and communicating them to an international audience.

She added that long-term research and the preparation of nomination dossiers had led to the formation of a professional team of experts and institutional memory within the Ministry of Culture. Noting that this experience is also being utilized within the framework of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Saadat Yusifova described the inclusion of the Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve and the Aghdam Imarat Complex on the Islamic World Heritage List as a major achievement and emphasized that behind all these successes lies the dedicated work of specialists.

President of the International Turkic Academy, Academician Shahin Mustafayev, expressed his gratitude to the leadership of ANAS and the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO for organizing the event.

Speaking about the long-standing and productive experience of cooperation with the National Commission, Academician Shahin Mustafayev recalled the importance of the international conference held in 2024 on the joint nomination of monuments of the Turkic world for inclusion on the UNESCO lists. The President of the Academy noted that the activities of the National Commission and relevant institutions of the Turkic states on joint platforms would open the way to greater achievements in the future.

Academician Shahin Mustafayev stated that the book “Azerbaijan’s Heritage on UNESCO Lists” not only brings together, for the first time in a single source, Azerbaijan’s rich historical, cultural, natural, and intangible heritage, but also demonstrates the extent to which Azerbaijan is broadly represented at the international level. Touching upon the significance of the work “Ganja Khanate: Coinage and Monetary Circulation,” the scholar emphasized that the study is particularly important in terms of addressing gaps that have emerged in numismatics in recent years, preventing the falsification of the history of the period of the khanates, and scientifically substantiating Azerbaijan’s traditions of statehood.

The event was also attended by Academician Teymur Karimli, Director of the Institute of Manuscripts named after Mahammad Fuzuli of ANAS; Adil Taghiyev, Deputy Head of the Ganja City Executive Authority; Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation; Vugar Karimov, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Members of the Milli Majlis Pervin Karimzada and Mushfig Jafarov; Acting Vice-President of ANAS, Academician Govhar Bakhshaliyeva; Farhad Guliyev, Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, PhD in History, Associate Professor; Taleh Aliyev, Head of the Department of Numismatics and Epigraphy of the same institute, PhD in History, Associate Professor; Corresponding Member of ANAS Artegin Salamzade, Director of the Institute of Architecture and Art; and others, who highly appreciated the historical significance of the publications presented. The speakers noted that these fundamental works play an important role in promoting Azerbaijan’s rich cultural and documentary heritage, as well as the history of the statehood and numismatics of the Ganja Khanate, on an international scale.

At the end, Mustafa Shabanov, First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and author of the publications, expressed his gratitude to the organizers and participants of the event.

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.